Single sub-20 nm wide, centimeter-long nanofluidic channel fabricated by novel nanoimprint mold fabrication and direct imprinting.

Abstract

We report and demonstrate a new method to fabricate single fluidic-channels of uniform channel width (11-50 nm) and over 1.5 cm in length, which are essential to developing innovative bio/chemical sensors but have not been fabricated previously. The method uses unconventional nanofabrication (a combination of crystallographic anisotropic etching, conformal coating, and edge patterning, etc.) to create an imprint mold of a channel pattern and nanoimprint to duplicate such channel. The centimeter-long channel continuity is verified by flowing fluorescent dye-stained water and stretching and transporting DNAs. The 18 by 20 nm channel cross-section was confirmed by measuring the liquid conductance in the channel.